Documents: Executive aide hire falls short of county's mandatory credentials
OTTAWA COUNTY — Ottawa County's recent hire of a senior executive aide for Administrator John Gibbs does not have the required qualifications the county sought in its description of the position, documents show.
On Aug. 8, Gibbs confirmed to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners that he had hired someone to fill the newly expanded role — but declined to name the individual to avoid "a public spectacle."
The Sentinel has since confirmed that Gibbs hired Jordan Epperson, of China Township in St. Clair County. The 23-year-old attended Algonac High School and graduated last year from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. A planned start date is Aug. 21.
More: Gibbs refuses to name executive aide in public. Here's who he is
More: Ottawa Impact commissioners approve new senior aide position to assist John Gibbs
The position, which expanded the previous executive assistant position, was narrowly approved by the board of commissioners' Ottawa Impact majority in March. When asking for the board's approval to expand the position, Gibbs said after two months on the job, it was "like drinking through a firehose." He said the ideal candidate would serve as a "body man" — an assistant or valet who follows a political figure around the clock, providing logistical assistance for daily tasks — and likened the position to a chief of staff, which would emulate the federal style of governance.
Those opposed to the position questioned what Gibbs would have left to do between an upgraded assistant and deputy county administrator — a position that became vacant in late July after the resignation of Patrick Waterman.
“Are we putting our administrator on the shelf? Is there anything left for him to do?” asked Commissioner Roger Bergman. “It looks like it’s a lot less for him to do. We’re giving this person most of what he should be doing.”
Gibbs said the change in the makeup of the board has necessitated additional work. He said previous board votes were often 11-0 and that's no longer the case, meaning the administrator has to be “more hands on.”
“I’m not putting myself on the shelf. I don’t think that would make very much sense,” Gibbs said. “I understand that previously most of the votes by the board were 11-0. There wasn’t necessarily a lot of oversight or deliberations done on decisions.
“Being hands-on versus 11-0 requires more resources and more eyeballs on things. That’s one of the reasons I do need this position in an upgraded capacity."
The upgrade came at a cost of $37,349.08, raising the cost for the position to $132,218.89 including benefits. Salary for the position increased from $54,101 to $81,538 — a $27,437 increase. Gibbs said the aide would help him take notes during meetings, organize follow-ups and help keep track of who he's met with.
Gibbs has never responded to The Sentinel's requests for comment.
Who applied
According to the job description posted by the county in March, the preferred candidate for the senior aide job must hold:
Master in Business Administration from an accredited institution, with specific experience in strategic management, innovation, and marketing/branding
Dean’s List or Honor Roll
Undergraduate major or minor from an accredited institution in an analytical or engineering discipline is strongly preferred
Working internationally at the non-profit level is strongly preferred
At least two years of experience serving on a major board
The Sentinel conducted an audit of the resumes the county received — gained through a Port Sheldon Township resident's recent Freedom of Information Act request. Here are some key findings:
30 total applicants
22 of 30 applicants were female (73%)
23 hold bachelor's degrees (76%)
11 hold any type of master's degree (37%)
15 had some type of executive aide experience listed (50%)
6 listed experience serving on some type of board (20%)
At least 6 candidates were people of color (20%)
4 candidates said they were on a dean's list or honor roll (13%)
2 candidates have worked internationally at the nonprofit level (6%)
Only one candidate appeared to have all five necessary qualifications the county was seeking.
Epperson's credentials
Of the five mandatory criteria listed, Epperson has one — a bachelor's degree.
According to his resume, Epperson worked as a part-time aide for Rep. Matt Maddock, one of several lawmakers active in Michigan's "Grand New Party," a far-right offshoot of the Republican Party launched by Rep. Steve Carra. Most recently, Epperson worked as a legislative aide last year for Northern Michigan State Rep. Neil Friske, also a GNP supporter.
Prior to the stints with Maddock and Friske, Epperson worked as a political consultant for Victory Strategies LLC, an organization founded by current Maddock legislative aide Benjamin Wetmore, an associate of Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe who later served as counsel for the now-defunct guerrilla journalism nonprofit American Phoenix Project in Texas.
Epperson also is an infantry rifleman in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Denying things that are verifiable and true seems to be the calling card of the GOP, these days…
— BarbByrum (@BarbByrum) May 6, 2022
Epperson also listed experience writing for Big League Politics, a far-right media website founded by former Breitbart News employees that promotes conspiracy theories. In his writings, Epperson says "the rise of Marxism is upon us."
He also appears to support and defend what he calls "paleo-conservative influencers," such as Infowars founder Alex Jones, Donald Trump loyalist Roger Stone and Nick Fuentes, an antisemitic white nationalist provocateur whose dinner with the former president last year was met with heavy criticism from Republican leaders.
Epperson's articles span from 2020 to December 2022.
Last week, Epperson's social media accounts were linked to several prominent far-right Republicans in the state, including Friske, Carra and former MIGOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock — one of 16 people in Michigan charged for allegedly acting as a false elector in the 2020 presidential election.
Epperson is also linked to Joel Studebaker, former chair of the Ottawa County GOP, who left the position weeks later to become chief of staff for MIGOP Chair Kristina Karamo. She was nominated for the role by Ottawa County Board Chair and Ottawa Impact founder Joe Moss.
Epperson's Twitter profile picture was of him posing at an event with former Michigan attorney general candidate Matt DePerno — who was charged earlier this month with violating state election law — and Mike Lindell, the founder of My Pillow who continues to claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Trump.
Epperson made his Facebook account private and deleted his Twitter account just days after his hiring was reported, but not before dozens of screenshots of his previous social media posts had been captured, including several controversial comments about women and immigrants, among other topics:
"Import women from Eastern Europe to make fat American women jealous. Women will only better themselves because of jealousy, no other reason," Epperson tweeted Nov. 17, 2020.
"I also think it's dangerous to 'believe all women' because men have a right to due process there was no proof on (Supreme Court Justice Brett) Kavanaugh," Epperson tweeted Nov. 11, 2018.
"I think Mexico realizes that with how much the Dems want to open up the borders and give amnesty, the Mexican population would decline at record rates and the country would be in more disarray than it already is," Epperson tweeted Nov. 25, 2020.
"It's good to hear someone with common sense on the other side instead of just saying I'm a white guy so I'm an evil rapist," Epperson tweeted Jan. 14, 2019.
Epperson also had several posts using the ableist slur "r------d."
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Screenshots of the tweets can be viewed here. Warning: Sensitive subjects and possibly offensive language.
The deputy county administrator position was posted Monday, Aug. 7, and closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1. The salary range is $129,416-$162,239.
— Sarah Leach is executive editor for The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @SentinelLeach.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Executive aide hire falls short of county's mandatory credentials
